Meat-chopper



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

-M. L-. EDWARDS.

(Model) 7 Meat Chopper.

- No. 236,314.- Patented Jan. 4,1881.

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.- Y

(Model) M. LLEDW-ARD S. Meat Chopper.

Patented J 'UNirn' terns MABTINL. EDWARDS, OF SALEM, OHIO.

MEAT-CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,314, dated January 4:, 1881.

Application filed May 25,1880. (ModeL) I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN LUTHER E1)- WARDs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of Uolumbiaua and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Meat-Choppers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in meat-chopping machines in which verticallyro reciprocating knives operate, by toggle-joint connections, in conjunction with an intermittently-rotating chopping-block; and the objects of my improvements are to render the operation of the toggle-joint connections ef-' I 5 fective and substantial; to provide a more effective means for connecting the knife-head to the toggle-joint arms and to the frame to obtain a more easy and light movement of the knives; to afford facilities for the adjustment of the toggle-joint connection with the frame to adapt the working of the knives to the surface of the block to provide facilities for removing the knives for sharpening them or for cleaning the tub; and by my improved construction the machine has compactness and solidity in its operating parts. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a view, in perspective, of the entire machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation, showing the mechanism for giving intermittent movement to the tub, a portion of which is broken away to expose the knives; Figs. 3 and 4:, a detail elevation and a sectional view of the toggle-joint slide-connection with the knife-head, and Fig. 5 a detail section of the bearing and the operating-gearin g for the tub.

I have shown the machine as adapted for use with two sets of independently-working knives; but it may be constructed with but one set of knives, as each set is carried by a separate and independent standard, A, secured upon a suitable base upon bearings on which the rotating tub for the material to be chopped is seated. The standard rises from the bed by the side of the tub and terminates in adavit-head, B, extending over the tub a distance above it sufficientt'or the action of the toggleconnections by which the knives are operated. 5o Immediately over the tub the standard carries a vertical guide-box, 0, open at its front side and at its ends, and formed with or secured to the standard by a horizontal arm, D, which, extending over the tub, supports the guide-box low down and partly within said tub. A slide, E, is adapted to work in this box, being held therein by face-plates ac, and the knife-head F is secured to the lower end of the slide, while at a point near the middle of the length of said slide and within the upper open or slotted portion thereof, the lower arm, I), of the toggle-joint is connected. The upper arm, 0, of this togglejoint is connected to the lower end of a screw-stem, Gr, secured to the overhanging davit-head B by jam-nuts d, one at the top and one at the under side of said davit-head, so that when the knives are at their lowest descent the slide, the togglearms, and the davit-head screw-stem will be in vertical line and operate the knives with their ends preferably near the inner wall of the tub. The box and the slide are made open or slotted to allow of the fiexnre of the lower toggle-arm, and the box and the slide are nearly or of quite equal length, giving a long bearing to'the slide, a proper flexure to the toggle-arms, and an easy and solid working movement to the knives and the slide toggleconnections. From the toggle-joint the operating-rod H extends back through a slot, 6, in the standard below the davit-head, and. connects with the operating-crank f of a shaft, I, supported in bearings at the back of the standard. v

The knife-blades g (preferably three) are secured, by screw -bolts, to the downwardlycurved arms of a cross-head, F It, the center projection, F, having an inner beveled face, i, and a shouldered part, t" and the lower end of the slide is formed with an open socket with a beveled back, adapted to receive the beveled and shouldered projection of the knife-head projection, so that a single screw-bolt,j, serves to secure the knife-head, and in which the matching beveled and shouldered parts give a firm support for the cross-head and relieve the screw-bolt of all strain. This construction allows the cross-heads to be easily removed from their operating-slides to sharpen the knives, or

to remove the tub for cleaning, when desired. The chopping-block may be of any suitable construction, and the knives have a stroke which gives them a contact with the block and clears them from the material being chopped at each revolution of the crank-shaft, and, as the block wears away, the toggle-joint slideconneetions and the screw-stems arelowered by unscrewing the upper jam-nut,d, and tightening the lowerone, and in such adjustmentthe toggle-connecting end of its crank-operating rod is also lowered. The clamping of thejaninuts to the davit-head secures the adjustment of the toggle-connections, and the proper relation of the knives with the block is maintained by the davit-connection with the toggle-arms.

The tub is seated upon an annular bearing, 7;, and is held thereon by the cog-rim l, secured to the under side of the tub, and which forms a guide-rim to said bearing. The tub is rotated by this cog-rim by means of a pinion, m, carried by a sleeve upon a h ub secured to and projecting from the edge of the base, while a ratchet-wheel, a, on the outer end of said sleeves operates the pinion by means of a I'ZltCllGt-Elfll],1), connecting with an eccentric, r, on the crank-shaft, in a manner to give an intermittent rotary motion to the tub. The eccentric is arranged in such relation to the crank that the tub will stand still when the knives come in contact with it, and thus prevent the edges of the knives from being worn by a scraping action of the block, as incident to a continuous movement, and also prevents the rolling of the meat upon the block.

The machine may be run by hand or power, and in the drawings a pinion, J, and spurgear K, with crank L, serve to run it by hand, the driving crank-shaft being provided with a balance-wheel, s, and the spur-gear is supported at the side of the standard.

The standard may be cast in one or two parts, or it may be made of wood; but when two sets of knives are used with a double crank it is preferable to cast the standard with its davit-head and guide-box integral.

The standards are bolted to the base and secured together at the point in line with the crank-axle bearings. The cranks are arranged opposite to each other, and when operated produce alternate strokes of the knives. When, however, using a single knife-head, the stroke of the crank may be increased to a length that will give two strokes of the knife-head to one I'GA'OlUtlOll of the crank.

A pulley is mounted upon the crank-shaft for driving the machine by power.

The overhanging davits and the overhanging guide-box of the standard not only allow the passing of the toggle-joint operating-rod through the slotted standard-head, but allow the knife-head slide to be connected with the standard and with the togglejoint arms low down over and partially within the tub. It is important, also, to notice that the slide, being the medium through which the knife-head is connected to the toggle-arms, leaves the knife-head free to be detached without disturbiugthe toggle-connections. Thisconstruction also allows the toggle-connections to work sufliciently far in advance of their supportingstandard to enable me to support the crankshaft directly upon the backs of the standards to flanges on which the bearing-boxes are bolted, there being also an intermediate box at the part by which the two standards are united at the shaft-connection.

The toggle-arm is connected to the davithead and to the crank-connecting rod, and the slide is conveniently inserted in the guide-box through its open face, and then confined by the plates a; and the slot 0, in the upper part of the slide, in connection with open frontand partly-open back of the guide box, allows of the front and back flexure of the toggle-arms when the cranks are adapted to give the knives a double throw to each revolution of the crank.

It is obvious the machine may be used for chopping vegetables.

As the tendency of the chopped meat is to collect toward the walls of thetub as it revolves, it is important that the knives should be arranged to operate in one side of the tub and free of its walls. In this connection I use a single guide-box for the knife-head connecting-slide, which gives the advantage of using a bar sliding cndwisc and having a bearing its full vertical length, so as to give the greatest possible firmness to the movements of the knives. It is also important that the overhangingdavit-head toggle-connection and the overhanging guide-box be arranged in vertical line and in front of the standard, so as to obtain a true action of the toggle-arm with the crank-connecting rod H, operating between the tub-overhanging parts with a direct connection with said shaft, through the standard-slot 6, justbelow the davit-head. [t is this construction which allows the use of a single open guide-box for the knife-head-carrying slide at the front of a davit-head standard, and the operating crank-shaft upon the back of said standard, so that there can be no binding of the slide but an easy and firm working of the knife and tub-operating parts. It is this construction that allows the connection of the lower toggle-arm at or near the middle of the length of said slide and directly within said box.

I am aware that prior to my invention meat-chopping machines have been made with "ertically-reciprocating knives operated by toggle-arm connections in conjunction with a rotating chopping-block. I therefore do not claim such a combination, broadly; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- l. The combination, in a meat-choppingmachine, of an intermittently-rotating choppingblock with astandard having a davit-head, B, and the open guide-box O, the endwise slidebar E carrying the knives, and the toggle-arms b a carrying said slide, the said davit-head and guide-box overhanging the tub with the slidebar and the toggle-arm davit-connections in vertical line in front of said standard, the several parts being constructed and adapted for operation, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a meat-chopping machine, the combination of a rotary chopping-block with a crosshead carrying the knives and having the shouldered and beveled face-projection, with a vertically-reciprocating slide having the shouldered and beveled face-socket within which said cross-head projection is secured, substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified. 3. The combination, with the toggle-arms b c, the reciprocating slide E, carryin g the crosshead for the knives, and the standard davithead B, with the adjustable screw-stem G, connecting the upper toggle-arm, c, with said davit-head and the toggle-crank connectingrod H, all substantially as set forth, whereby the knife carrying cross head is adjusted through the toggle-arms and their connectingslide.

4. The davit-head standard, the guide-box O, the bar-slide E, and the toggle-arms connected and arranged in front of said standard, with the guide-box and toggle-arm davit-head connections overhanging the tub in vertical line, the slide and the guide-box being open or slotted, and the lower toggle-arm connected to the slide within the box free to flex therein, and in which the slide-bar is supported in the direct line of the davit-head connection, substantially as herein set forth.

5. The combination of the intermittentlyrotating chopping -block with the standard having a davit-head, B, and an open guidebox, 0, overhanging the tub, the endwise barslideE, the toggle-arms b 0, connecting said davit-head and slide in vertical line, the crankshaft I, and the operating-rod H, the latter passing through a slot, 0, in the davit-head and connecting with the toggle-arms at a point between the overhanging davit-head and the guide-box, and with the crank-shaft on the back of said standard, all constructed for op eration as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN LUTHER EDWARDS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS KENNETT, PETER AMBLER. 

